Bulls’ Jimmy Butler Named 3rd-Team All-NBA

(CBS) Bulls wing Jimmy Butler has been named to the all-NBA third team, the first such honor of his career.

The nod came after the 27-year-old Butler posted career highs with 23.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. In a ballot of 100 media members, Butler received 19 second-team votes and 45 third-team votes. He didn’t receive a first-team vote.

The all-NBA voting matters beyond recognition. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, it’s a leading component in whether certain players are eligible for the designated player veteran extension — known by some as the “super-max” — which allows for a player to sign a lucrative deal with their current team if they’re entering their eighth or ninth NBA season and meet certain criteria. If Butler makes the an all-NBA team next year, he would qualify to receive a designated player veteran extension in summer 2018. He could also qualify for it if he makes an all-NBA team in the 2018-’19 season.

A sports editor for CBSChicago.com and 670TheScore.com, Cody Westerlund also covers the Bulls. Prior to coming on board in January 2014, he previously had covered college and high school sports in the Champaign, Ill., and Ames, Iowa areas. Wester...